Protect Yourself From Embezzlement
Paul Winans, a remodeling industry consultant, advises small business owners to take a few simple steps to protect their coffers from sticky fingers.
Remodeling
Southern Yellow Pine Design Values Q&A
Changes in design values of visually graded Southern Pine and Mixed Southern Pine sized 2" to 4" wide and 2" to 4" thick (2x2s through 4x4s) in No.2 and lower grades (No.2, No.3, Stud, Construction, Standard and Utility) go into effect June 1. New design values for No.2 Dense and No.2 NonDense, pending approval by the Board of Review of the American Lumber Standard Committee (ALSC), will also become effective June 1, 2012.
Southern Forest Products Association
13% Growth Forecast in Composite, All-Plastic Lumber Thru '15
Demand nationwide for wood-plastic composite and all-plastic lumber--including decking, molding, trim, windows, and doors--will rise 13% per year through 2015, according to a Freedonia Group press release Tuesday.
ProSales
First Edition of ICC Swimming Pool and Spa Code Approved
The ICC's new code for swimming pools and spas will be available in the spring of this year.
International Code Council
In the Era of Big Boxes, a Day for the Little Guy
One man decided that more should be done to support local businesses. So he sent an email to friends suggesting they spend at least $20 at the town's hardware store on January 21. Those friends forwarded the email to their friends, and from the viral wave, the till was filled.
Associated Press
Contract Failures Affect Home Sales
The National Association of Realtors has released pending home sales figures for December. NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun says that one-third of Realtors have reported contract failures, which are pressing down sales, but that conditions nonetheless are looking up.
National Association of Realtors
Census Reports on New-Home Sales for December
The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development released December new-home-sale figures on January 26.
U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development
Two Hurt in Allentown Balcony Collapse
From the photo, it looks like the balcony separated from the house. It also looks like there is some rot underneath the sliding glass doors that led out onto the balcony.
The Morning Call (Pennsylvania)
The Company Manual
Remodeling blogger Kathy Shertzer outlines 11 must-have topics for a company manual. She also provides a link to the National Federation of Independent Business website, where you can look at a sample business manual and get some ideas for yours.
Remodeling
Evonik Develops Acrylic-Based Composite
Evonik introduced Plexiglas Wood, a composite that uses acrylic instead of polypropylene or PVC as its plastic base, at a composites conference in December. The company plans to roll out the product in 2012.
Plastics News
Strong Deck Post Connection
In his blog, Tim Garrison provides a link to an illustration of a deck post connection he recently designed to withstand a 200-pound force.
Builder
What's In This Stuff?
Craig Webb, editor of ProSales (a sister publication to PDB), provides an in-depth look at the different materials used to create synthetic decking.
ProSales
Attaching Deck Ledgers
In addition to using the right fasteners in sufficient numbers, an important factor in designing ledger attachments is preventing moisture damage — rot — from weakening the ledger and band joist.
JLC
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